Hurn Faces Election Disaster in SA

0:00Welcome to Sydney News today, two minutes of news that matter to Sydney. South Australian Liberal Leader Aston Hurn is staring down a potential election disaster ahead of the March 21st vote. She took over just three months ago, becoming the party's fourth leader in four years. Her situation echoes, Western Australia's Zach Kirkup, back in 2021, when he stepped up under similar pressure from awful polls and a... Dominant Labor Premier. Both leaders were young moderates in their early thirties, former staffers who won seats on the edge of city and country areas. They got the top job after predecessor's quit, hoping fresh faces could salvage a rough first term in opposition against conservative party shifts. In Western Australia, Kirkup's Liberals crashed hard, grabbing only two of 59 lower house seats and losing official opposition status to the nationals. Premier, Mark McGowan's Sky High popularity during the pandemic made it impossible to compete, turning a safe liberal state deep red.

1:00Here in South Australia, things aren't exact matches. There's no messy coalition drama like in WA, but one nation is polling second in spots, which could strip liberals of opposition standing. Party insiders are losing sleep over the parallels, 2,600 kilometers east. Hurn's banking on holding her own Barossa Valley seat of Schubert, where Labor's barely campaigning and picked a 21-year-old newbie. Even if a wipeout hits, she's pushing big local spending promises, hoping for a quicker bounce back than WA Liberals saw four years later. This episode is brought to you in partnership with our sponsor, a pillow that sounds as good as it feels. Support for listening in bed. S-O-L-I-SOLY-PILLO.COM